


Boys Speak in Rhythm and Girls in Code

by CelticxPanda



Series: The Continuing Adventures of Morrigan and the Celtic Guard [5]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Animated), Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Damian Wayne is a little shit, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Tickle Fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-30 20:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5178896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticxPanda/pseuds/CelticxPanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel returns to Gotham to attend college and finds herself spending more and more time with one Tim Drake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boys Speak in Rhythm and Girls in Code

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dinosaurdragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinosaurdragon/gifts).



> This little fic takes place after chapter 6 and during the upcoming chapter 7. Again, like most of the side fics, this is not required to understand the plot of Morrigan and the Celtic Guard, but it is necessary to understand the development of the relationships between characters. I hope you enjoy, kudos and comments are appreciated!

Rachel felt weird returning to Gotham after the summer was over. She had graduated from high school (finally) that spring and was set to start at Gotham University. At least she didn’t have to deal with the Texas heat any more. 

She exited off the high way, heading out of Gotham proper and into the surrounding countryside. Tim told her that she didn’t have to drive herself (it was a long way to Gotham City from north east Texas) but Rachel insisted on bringing her own car up. She had stopped off in Central City the night before and stayed on Wally and Kolby’s pull out (and it was officially Wally and Kolby’s now that they were living together) and she was anxious to get to Wayne manor and sleep in a real bed. 

It was unusual for the university (or any university) to let freshmen students live off campus, but no one at the office gave her any grief when she listed her address as Wayne Manor. Her tuition had been paid in full by the Waynes as well and she would feel bad about that if it wasn’t for the fact she really didn’t want to deal with student loans (it wasn’t like she was the only one they were doing it for either, Mark was getting a scholarship from them too and Tim had promised the rest of the Guard would get similar treatment).

Rachel stopped at the gate of Wayne Manor, sending a quick text to Tim to tell him to open up for her. She was going to need a remote for it or something because like hell she was going to make Alfred drive her everywhere. Moments later, the gates swung open with a creak and Rachel drove in. Tim and Alfred were waiting for her at the front door.

“Hey guys!” she called, rolling down the passenger window. “Where do I park this thing?”

“Don’t worry about that right now, let’s just get you settled,” Tim insisted, a giant grin plastered on his face.

 

Rachel practically had a wing to herself, if it wasn’t for the fact Tim’s room is only a few doors down (at least he didn’t insist on her being right next door like Damian did with Kolby). But the two of them were the only two in that corner of the Manor. She never really understood why Dick ever moved out, wasn’t like he needed to. You could spend days in the manor and never run into the other inhabitants. 

It felt weird being at the Manor without Kolby and Mark, though. She kept expecting to see Damian laying all over Kolby on a random couch like he was a kitten and she was a pile of recently cleaned clothes, or Dick dragging Mark down a hall. The quiet was nice though, so Rachel didn’t mind. 

Alfred asked several times if she was sure she didn’t want to be driven to school, he was more than willing to drop her off at the university after he drove Damian to school. Rachel told him flat out that she didn’t have any classes until 1 in the afternoon for a reason and she brought her car so she could drive herself and not be a bother (Alfred insisted she wasn’t a bother at all but Rachel was still going to drive herself). 

Her class schedule was pretty packed. Then again, that’s what she got for double majoring in Linguistics and Biology. She was lucky she managed to knock a semester off with her advanced classes back home. If she had to sit though another economics or English class she was going to break something. 

Bruce was pretty strict when it came to academics. Rachel had never experienced it because she was only ever in Gotham during the summer, but if she had homework or anything academic to do, that took precedence over patrolling. She would be mad, but she could usually talk Tim into staying with her and helping her with her studying. It was especially helpful with her foreign languages class, of which she was taking two with a third planned once she had more hours open. 

Someone asked her, she couldn’t remember who, why she’d decided on Linguistics and Biology of all things. Biology was a pretty straight forward answer, she wanted to understand the human body so she could understand how metahumans differed and what made them the way they were. Gotham University and Metropolis College of Math and Sciences were the only two colleges in the States that required classes on metahumans for their biology programs. 

The answer for why she chose Linguistics was a little funnier. Dick knew like fifty languages and Rachel wanted to be able to understand what he was saying in at least half of them and know at least one he didn’t speak. Her father’s family was from Brittany in France so she’d been speaking French since she was little. She’d started learning Gaelic some time ago as part of the whole Celtic Guard thing alongside Mark and Kolby. So when she signed up for her course she picked Japanese and Russian. She was lucky she picked up languages so damn well because otherwise she’d be screwed.

Rachel groaned, curling into her very, very boring textbook as she attempted to study for a quiz. Even with all her half her gen-eds taken care of she still had to deal with bullshit classes she didn’t really want to take.

“What are you doing?” She leaned back over the arm of the couch to see Tim standing right there.

“Trying to study for my Introduction to Contemporary Art Theory quiz tomorrow,” she told him, not bothering to hide her disdain for the subject.

“Poor thing,” Tim teased, placing his hands on either side of Rachel’s head and leaning forward. “Do you want some help?”

“Not unless you have some way of making this book not put me to sleep,” Rachel muttered. 

“Sorry, unlike your friend Serenity, I’m not magic.”

“You disappoint me, Timothy,” Rachel teased, reaching up with one finger and booping his nose.

“Maybe I can make it up to you and get you some coffee?”

“I’d rather have some Earl Grey if that’s okay with you,” Rachel admitted. “Coffee makes me jittery and it’s too late to have that much caffeine.”

“Sure thing, how do you take it?”

“Three sugars and a splash of cream.”

“You got it, I’ll be right back.”

Rachel smiled at Tim’s back as he left before turning back to her book, determined to get through the damn chapter.

She fell asleep before Tim could return with her tea.

 

Rachel didn’t know why Tim insisted on bringing her to the party. It was full of rich assholes and shitty food and she didn’t even get to drink the booze. Tim had been pulled away by a gaggle of old women at some point who wanted to thank him for some charity work he’d done earlier that year, leaving Rachel alone and wishing she was at home with Titus and the other animals. She spotted Damian being fawned over by a group of middle aged women and looking very, very bored. She couldn’t find Bruce. 

She sighed, rubbing at her bare arms. It was too damn cold in here to be wearing a strapless dress but she hadn’t known it was going to be colder than Mister Freeze’s dick when she was deciding what to wear. Gods, she wanted to leave right the fuck now.

“Well, hello there, young lady.” Rachel narrowed her eyes at the approaching man. He was dressed finely, but so was everyone else. His hair was already greying at his temples and Rachel really wanted him to go away right now.

“What a shame that someone like you has been left alone,” the man continued, leaning in way too close for comfort (where the FUCK was Tim? Hell, she’d settle for Damian right now). “If you were my companion, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.”

Rachel attempted to push off the wall and walk away, but the man grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back against him. She shuddered when he wrapped his arm around her waist.

And then he groped her ass.

She probably shouldn’t feel so much satisfaction for breaking a rich bastard’s nose, but she did. The man dropped his drink, the sound of shattering glass drawing more attention that the crack of breaking cartilage. Tim and the rest of the Waynes were at her side in a moment, Tim pulling her close to shield her from any possible retaliation.

“Touch me again and I’ll break something more important than your nose!” Rachel shouted at the man, loud enough for everyone to hear. 

“C’mon,” Bruce growled, pushing Damian towards the door and glaring over his shoulder at the man. “We’re leaving. Now.”

“Are you okay,” Tim asked her, his voice low and his arm still around her shoulders as they walked. “Did he hurt you.”

“I’m fine, save for the intense need to shower like twenty times,” Rachel assured, hoping the joke would make Tim relax.

It seemed to work, but he and the rest of his family were tense until they reached the car, where Bruce burst out laughing, scaring the shit out of Rachel.

“Thank you,” he gasped out. “Roger Dickins has needed a good punch in the face for years.”

Rachel stared in wide eyed shock at Bruce before finding her voice. “Okay, I did not come here to make your dad like me, I think I need to leave Gotham and never come back.”

Tim laughed, pulling Rachel into a one arm hug. “Not a chance, you’re stuck with us for life.”

 

Gotham got cold fast once it autumn hit, it was fantastic. Rachel wandered down to the family room, comfy cozy in her favorite rabbit hoodie and bunny slippers. Damian had made a comment about how childish she looked, but she did care. She was adorable, dammit. 

Tim was sitting on the couch, legs up and covered by a quilt. He turned the page in the book he was reading, not looking up when Rachel entered the room. He did look up, however, when she plopped herself on the couch, bringing her legs up to tangle with his under the quilt.

“Whatcha readin’?” she asked. She hadn’t read for fun in months and seriously missed it.

“1984, and old favorite of mine.”

“Snorefest, give me Harry Potter over that nonsense any day.” Rachel poked at Tim’s stomach with her foot, causing him to squirm. Her eyes sparkled at her discovery.

“Did Batman seriously not train the tickle out of you?” she asked. “Well, now I know how I’m beating you in all our sparring matches from now until forever.”

Tim groaned, setting aside his book, “Please don’t, I’ve spent years trying to convince Dick I grew out of being ticklish.”

“Too late!” Rachel cackled, leaping for him and tickling at his sides.

Tim laughed breathlessly, trying his hardest to fight back, going for that sensitive part of Rachel’s neck just under her jaw that always made her wiggle. They lost track of what was happening, but somehow Tim had managed to reverse their positions. Rachel lay against the couch arm, Tim hovering above her as he balanced on his forearms as they rested on either side of Rachel’s head. They panted lightly and before Rachel knew what has happening, Tim kissed her. 

It was short, Tim realizing what he was doing fairly quickly. He pulled back, his face red.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“No, It’s okay,” Rachel insisted, reaching up to hold Tim’s face in her hands. “I kinda want to do it again.” 

Tim didn’t stop her from pulling him down to kiss her once again.

 

“You two are disgustingly saccharine,” Damian told them, glancing at them over his book that he brought to the table even though Alfred told him it was impolite to read at the table.

Tim and Rachel looked at each other and grinned.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, baby bat,” Rachel said, moving from sitting right next to Tim to sitting in his lap.

“Must be his imagination,” Tim concurred, peppering every inch of Rachel’s face he could reach with kisses.

Damian scowled, slamming his book shut and hoping down from his chair with a mutter of ‘Disgusting’.

Tim and Rachel just laughed.


End file.
